Swallow

• POS: Noun, Verb (usu participle), Verb (intransitive)
• HYPHEN: swal=low

CIDE DICTIONARY

Swallow, n. [OE. swalowe, AS. swalewe, swealwe; akin to D. zwaluw, OHG. swalawa, G. schwalbe, Icel. & Sw. svala, Dan. svale.].

•  Any one of numerous species of passerine birds of the family Hirundinidæ, especially one of those species in which the tail is deeply forked. They have long, pointed wings, and are noted for the swiftness and gracefulness of their flight.  [1913 Webster]

  " The most common North American species are the barn swallow (see under Barn), the cliff, or eaves, swallow (see under Cliff), the white-bellied, or tree, swallow (Tachycineta bicolor), and the bank swallow (see under Bank). The common European swallow (Chelidon rustica), and the window swallow, or martin (Chelidon urbica), are familiar species."  [1913 Webster]
•  Any one of numerous species of swifts which resemble the true swallows in form and habits, as the common American chimney swallow, or swift.  [1913 Webster]
•  The aperture in a block through which the rope reeves.  Ham. Nav. Encyc.  [1913 Webster]

Swallow plover (Zoöl.), any one of several species of fork-tailed ploverlike birds of the genus Glareola, as G. orientalis of India; a pratincole. -- Swallow shrike (Zoöl.), any one of several species of East Indian and Asiatic birds of the family Artamiidæ, allied to the shrikes but similar to swallows in appearance and habits. The ashy swallow shrike (Artamus fuscus) is common in India. -- Swallow warbler (Zoöl.), any one of numerous species of East Indian and Australian singing birds of the genus Dicæum. They are allied to the honeysuckers.

Swallow, v. t. [OE. swolewen, swolwen, swolhen, AS. swelgan; akin to D. zwelgen, OHG. swelahan, swelgan, G. schwelgen to feast, to revel, Icel. svelgia to swallow, SW. svälja, Dan. svælge. Cf. Groundsel a plant.].

•  To take into the stomach; to receive through the gullet, or esophagus, into the stomach; as, to swallow food or drink.  [1913 Webster]

  "As if I had swallowed snowballs for pills."  [1913 Webster]
•  To draw into an abyss or gulf; to ingulf; to absorb -- usually followed by up.  Milton.  [1913 Webster]

  "The earth opened her mouth, and swallowed them up, and their houses."  [1913 Webster]
•  To receive or embrace, as opinions or belief, without examination or scruple; to receive implicitly.  [1913 Webster]

  "Though that story . . . be not so readily swallowed."  [1913 Webster]
•  To engross; to appropriate; -- usually with up.  [1913 Webster]

  "Homer excels . . . in this, that he swallowed up the honor of those who succeeded him."  [1913 Webster]
•  To occupy; to take up; to employ.  [1913 Webster]

  "The necessary provision of the life swallows the greatest part of their time."  [1913 Webster]
•  To seize and waste; to exhaust; to consume.  [1913 Webster]

  "Corruption swallowed what the liberal hand
  Of bounty scattered."  [1913 Webster]
•  To retract; to recant; as, to swallow one's opinions.  Shak.  [1913 Webster]
•  To put up with; to bear patiently or without retaliation; as, to swallow an affront or insult.  [1913 Webster]

Syn. -- To absorb; imbibe; ingulf; engross; consume. See Absorb.

Swallow, v. i. 

 To perform the act of swallowing; as, his cold is so severe he is unable to swallow.  [1913 Webster]

Swallow, n. 

•  The act of swallowing.  [1913 Webster]
•  The gullet, or esophagus; the throat.  [1913 Webster]
•  Taste; relish; inclination; liking.  [1913 Webster]

  "I have no swallow for it."  [1913 Webster]
•  Capacity for swallowing; voracity.  [1913 Webster]

  "There being nothing too gross for the swallow of political rancor."  [1913 Webster]
•  As much as is, or can be, swallowed at once; as, a swallow of water.  [1913 Webster]
•  That which ingulfs; a whirlpool.  Fabyan.  [1913 Webster]

OXFORD DICTIONARY

Swallow, v. & n.
--v.
1 tr. cause or allow (food etc.) to pass down the throat.
2 intr. perform the muscular movement of the oesophagus required to do this.
3 tr. a accept meekly; put up with (an affront etc.). b accept credulously (an unlikely assertion etc.).
4 tr. repress; resist the expression of (a feeling etc.) (swallow one's pride).
5 tr. articulate (words etc.) indistinctly.
6 tr. (often foll. by up) engulf or absorb; exhaust; cause to disappear.
--n.
1 the act of swallowing.
2 an amount swallowed in one action.

Idiom

swallow-hole Brit. = sink-hole (see SINK n. 6).

Derivative

swallowable adj. swallower n.

Swallow, n. any of various migratory swift-flying insect-eating birds of the family Hirundinidae, esp. Hirundo rustica, with a forked tail and long pointed wings.

Idiom

one swallow does not make a summer a warning against a hasty inference from one instance. swallow-dive a dive with the arms outspread until close to the water. swallow-tail
1 a deeply forked tail.
2 anything resembling this shape.
3 any butterfly of the family Papilionidae with wings extended at the back to this shape. swallow-tailed having a swallow-tail.

Etymology

OE swealwe f. Gmc

THESAURUS

Swallow

abide, abjure, ablate, absorb, accede, accept, accept for gospel, accept implicitly, acquiesce, allow, and sinker, antelope, arrow, assent, assimilate, back down, back out, backwater, be a sucker, be agreeable, be certain, be taken in, bear with, beard, believe, believe without reservation, bite, bleed white, blue darter, blue streak, bolus, brook, burn up, buy, cannonball, champ, chaw, chew, chomp, climb down, comply, conquer, consent, consume, control, courser, crawfish out, credit, cud, dart, deny, deplete, devour, digest, disavow, disclaim, disown, dispatch, dispose of, disregard, down, drain, drain of resources, drink, drinking, drop, eagle, eat, eat crow, eat humble pie, eat up, eating, electricity, endure, engorge, engorgement, engulf, engulfment, erode, exhaust, expend, express train, face the music, fall for, finish, finish off, flash, forswear, fumble, gazelle, get away with, get down, give faith to, gnash, go, go along with, go for, gob, gobble, gobble up, greased lightning, greyhound, gulp, gulp down, gulping, guzzle, hare, ignore, imbibe, imbibition, impoverish, ingest, ingestion, ingurgitate, ingurgitation, jet plane, knock under, knuckle down, knuckle under, lap up, light, lightning, line, live with it, mercury, morsel, mouthful, muddle, munch, murmur, mutter, nibble, nip, not resist, obey, overcome, pack away, pocket, pocket the affront, put away, put faith in, quaff, quicksilver, quid, quilt, recant, receive, relent, renege, renounce, repress, repudiate, resign, retract, revoke, rocket, scared rabbit, set store by, shot, sip, slurp, smother, snap, spend, squander, stand, stifle, stomach, streak, streak of lightning, striped snake, submit, succumb, suck dry, sup, suppress, surround, swallow an insult, swallow anything, swallow hook, swallow it, swallow the pill, swallow up, swallow whole, swallowing, swig, swill, swill down, swing at, take, take back, take down, take for granted, take in, take it, take on faith, take on trust, take stock in, take the bait, thought, thunderbolt, tolerate, torrent, toss, trust, tuck in, tumble for, turn aside provocation, unsay, use up, waste away, wear away, wind, withdraw, wolf down

ROGET THESAURUS

Swallow

Inexcitability

VB be composed, laisser faire, laisser aller, take things easily, take things as they come, take it easy, rub on, live and let live, take easily, take cooly, take in good part, aequam servare mentem, bear the brunt, bear well, go through, support, endure, brave, disregard, tolerate, suffer, stand, bide, abide, aby, bear with, put up with, take up with, abide with, acquiesce, submit, submit with a good grace, resign oneself to, reconcile oneself to, brook, digest, eat, swallow, pocket, stomach, make light of, make the best of, make 'a virtue of necessity', put a good face on, keep one's countenance, check, check oneself, compose, appease (moderate), propitiate, repress, render insensible, overcome one's excitability, allay one's excitability, repress one's excitability, master one's feelings, make oneself easy, make one's mind easy, set one's mind at ease, set one's mind at rest, calm down, cool down, gentle, thaw, grow cool, be borne, be endured, go down.

Reception

VB give entrance to, give admittance to, give the entree, introduce, intromit, usher, admit, receive, import, bring in, open the door to, throw in, ingest, absorb, imbibe, inhale, breathe in, let in, take in, suck in, draw in, readmit, resorb, reabsorb, snuff up, swallow, ingurgitate, engulf, engorge, gulp, eat, drink.

Food

VB eat, feed, fare, devour, swallow, take, gulp, bolt, snap, fall to, despatch, dispatch, discuss, take down, get down, gulp down, lay in, tuck in, lick, pick, peck, gormandize, bite, champ, munch, cranch, craunch, crunch, chew, masticate, nibble, gnaw, mumble, live on, feed upon, batten upon, fatten upon, feast upon, browse, graze, crop, regale, carouse, eat heartily, do justice to, play a good knife and fork, banquet, break bread, break one's fast, breakfast, lunch, dine, take tea, sup, drink in, drink up, drink one's fill, quaff, sip, sup, suck, suck up, lap, swig, swill, chugalug, tipple, empty one's glass, drain the cup, toss off, toss one's glass, wash down, crack a bottle, wet one's whistle, purvey.

Belief

VB believe, credit, give faith to, give credit to, credence to, see, realize, assume, receive, set down for, take for, have it, take it, consider, esteem, presume, count upon, depend upon, calculate upon, pin one's faith upon, reckon upon, lean upon, build upon, rely upon, rest upon, lay one's account for, make sure of, make oneself easy about, on that score, take on trust, take on credit, take for granted, take for gospel, allow some weight to, attach some weight to, know, know for certain, have know, make no doubt, doubt not, be, rest assured, persuade oneself, assure oneself, satisfy oneself, make up one's mind, give one credit for, confide in, believe in, put one's trust in, place in, repose in, implicit confidence in, take one's word for, at one's word, place reliance on, rely upon, swear by, regard to, think, hold, take, take it, opine, be of opinion, conceive, trow, ween, fancy, apprehend, have it, hold a belief, possess, entertain a belief, adopt a belief, imbibe a belief, embrace a belief, get hold of a belief, hazard, foster, nurture a belief, cherish a belief, have an opinion, hold an opinion, possess, entertain an opinion, adopt an opinion, imbibe an opinion, embrace an opinion, get hold of an opinion, hazard an opinion, foster an opinion, nurture an opinion, cherish an opinion, view as, consider as, take as, hold as, conceive as, regard as, esteem as, deem as, look upon as, account as, set down as, surmise, get it into one's head, take it into one's head, come round to an opinion, swallow, cause to be believed, satisfy, persuade, have the ear of, gain the confidence of, assure, convince, convict, convert, wean, bring round, bring over, win over, indoctrinate, cram down the throat, produce conviction, carry conviction, bring home to, drive home to, go down, find credence, pass current, be received, be current, possess, take hold of, take possession of the mind.

Credulity

VB be credulous, jurare in verba magistri, follow implicitly, swallow, gulp down, take on trust, take for granted, take for gospel, run away with a notion, run away with an idea, jump to a conclusion, rush to a conclusion, think the moon is made of green cheese, take for granted, grasp the shadow for the substance, catch at straws, grasp at straws, impose upon.